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RPLog:The World Devastators
The defenses of Nak Shimor are splintered. The Republic fleet under the calculated command of Admiral Ackbar performed admirably. The Imperials losses thus far have been substantial, including the destruction of the infamous Super Star Destroyer "Lusankya". The campaign is not boding well for the Republic defenders. The shipyards have been seized by Imperial stormtroopers, and the fleet under Terrinald Screed has taken up superiority positions in orbit over Nak Shimor. Space is silent for the time being. Ackbar and the Republic fleet has fallen back to regroup and reassess the situation, while the commanders on the ground prepare for the inevitable... at the capital, in an underground, hardened command bunker, two heroes of the Alliance hover over their tactical displays, issuing orders and directing the Republic forces across Nak Shimor: they are Jan Dodonna, recently released from captivity, and Carlist Rieekan. Holographic images of the battlefield are presented on their display: the three massive World Devastators progress towards the capital, their powerful tractor beams ripping apart the ground beneath them and absorbing them into their internal foundries, where they are processed and used to build more Imperial weapons of destruction. These World Devastators have carved a path of destruction across Nak Shimor, devastating the landscape and cities... their final target is the capital, where the Republic military command and the government attempts to stave off defeat. "Their shields are too powerful for our conventional weaponry to penetrate. We have ten minutes before they drop on the capital." Rieekan looks at Dodonna, nodding his head. "We must evacuate the civilians and the governor. We'll hold off as long as we can... may the Force be with us." Orders trickle down and the transports are prepped: they will carry as many civilians out of the capital as possible, along with the government officials. Rieekan and Dodonna stay behind to continue leading the effort, as does most of the command staff; they will not abandon the city without a fight, for they know the Force is with them... miles away, as starfighters battle in the skies, attempting to halt the progress of the Devastators, repulsorcraft speed underneath the World Devastators... they are Marines, the finest the Republic has to offer. Amidst the chaos of battle, the Devastators do not notice the small craft... tiny specks compared to the size of the Devastators. But grappling hooks are shot out from these craft, latching on to the belly of the World Devastators... Jedi Master Uklaih Zandura had alerted the Jedi Temple to the onslaught as soon as it went southward. That's when Luke Skywalker left with a handful of Jedi Knights, rushing toward the garrison system of Nak Shimor at top speed. As the World Devastators carve their path of destruction toward the capital city, a series of fightercraft blip out of hyperspace within the defensive lines of Ackbar's defense force, having come in from the well protected edge of the system that faces New Republic territory. The starfighters break formation, some headed toward the battle to reinforce the defenses, the others rolling down and dipping into the atmosphere of the planet below. Among these starfighters is the X-Wing known as /Jedi One/, piloted by Luke Skywalker. R2-D2 bleeps and blips a warning as he and his wingman race into the atmosphere at top speed. "Mitali, watch your hull temperature. Stay on my wing. Everyone else, head for the capital and assist with the evac." Luke reaches over to activate his scanners, though he can already sense where it is they need to be headed. As the clouds part, Luke glimpses his target below; one of the gargantuan monstrosities, its trail of destruction a mar on the surface of a beautiful planet. "R2, run a focused scan. Locate possible entry points and relay to node fourteen." The astromech droid warbles a response and begins calculating incoming data from the X-Wing's sensors. Javin Mitali has never been a starfighter pilot, per se, but he knows just enough about piloting that he's kept up with his Master and the rest of the Jedi during the relatively straightforward task of reaching Nak Shimor. What he doesn't know, he lets his newfound instincts help him with, and it's with a simple "Yessir," that he takes Luke's advice as his own X-Wing plunges through the clouds, the Mirialan's brow slightly furrowed. "We'd want to come in from underneath, if at all possible," Mitali notes over the com, just as much for Artoo's benefit as Luke's. If nothing else, spending the last year of your life serving in an Imperial shipyard facility does give one an understanding of how they create their war machines. It also helps that he's studied his history. "Kind of like an AT-AT. Something this big, they'd expect fighters to be thrown at it, so the topside's going to be pretty sturdy even under the shields." Wrista had, as it turned out, arrived just in time, dropping /Tydirium/ out of hyperspace and onto the planet with nary even a communications hail, just an Identification and Command Code to get the shuttle through the fleet's traffic control without incurring friendly fire or unnecessary conversation that would just distract everyone involved. The fleet shuttle had touched down at the NR's forward command center briefly, dropping off Wrista and her wayward commando team, before lifting back off on a freshly-delivered new assignment somewhere else on the battlefeild. Naturally, noone seemed to feel now was the appropriate time to be yelling at a useful and experienced Marine officer, so when she'd reported in for a brief.. uh.. briefing on the situation, it was crisp and to the point-- Incoming World Devastators, conventional assaults are useless. So if the twi'lek had any ideas... Indeed she had, and most of the command staff were quite sure she'd finally gone off the deep end, but noone seemed to have a good reason to tell her not to. Nor had she stuck around to hear anyone try, and she'd stopped only to requisition a handful of speeders and assemble a quick team of Marines she could count on to be as arguably-crazy as herself... and find a tech that wouldn't pass out at the prospect of assaulting one of the lumbering behemoths. Now they were hurriedly packing quickly-gathered gear into the speeders, and the twi'lek herself ducks out of one of the command post's temporary pre-fab buildings to join the impromtu infiltration team, still tugging her Marine scout feild uniform down over her head after an exceedingly speedy change of attire. There are a few factors involved considering Ti'Ilandria's pick to be inserted with this particular team of crazy-assed Marines. First, the crazy factor. No one will argue the crazy factor where Ty is concerned. Period. Secondly, when the Marine officer brought up assaulting the lumbering hulk of a machine, a certain Deck Boss on the Independence knew just who to send, since 2DO Di-Inaris had basically implied that there were TechCrew that would be willing to do such a thing. Frightening, isn't it. Now, fainting at the sight of combat, well, everyone has their own ways of coping with that, and currently, Ty is simply worrying and fidgeting about leaving behind her beloved droids all alone up in the hanger bay. Twisting her lips in a worried frown, Ty finally starts gnawing on her lips as hazel eyes look left and right, eying over the Marines as she sits with them, waiting for infiltration. "Harris really doesn't treat Lenny right. Hasn't the patient with Lenny's bugs. And 35, I hope the sneezing doesn't get worse. It gets worse when he's upset. And George the Fourth ... I hope he doesn't get under foot and break R... " Suddenly Ty just snaps her lips shut with a click of her jaw, tapping her fingers on her leg quickly, as if inputing some programming of some sort and closes her eyes. One can almost see the gears as they start to turn in the Tech's mind as she grins. "Oh... that's where they blocked me at. Heh. I'll get past you next time COMPNOR .... heh." R2-D2 acknowledges Mitali's suggestion, and a holographic image magnifies on the HUDs of both X-Wings. It reveals the underbelly of the World Devastator, then magnifies to show a schematic-type image of a space between the massive landing claws. "Copy that," says Luke, then banks his X-Wing to starboard, leaving the massive war machine behind them as they race for the NR's forward command center. "Forward Command, this is Jedi One, requesting immediate landing clearance for two." "Jedi One, this is Station 1138, landing confirmed." Moments later, the two X-wings are banking about and dropping in for a hasty landing. The ship is still cycling down when he pops the canopy and leaps out, landing firmly on the tarmac below. There's a rumble of battle all around, accented by the thrum of destruction coming from the massive device visible on the western horizon. His keen eyes locate Wrista Ipex and her team of marines, headed for a pair of speeders. "Hoah! IPEX!" he calls out, using the Force to boost his shout. "Hold up!" Moments later, Luke and Mitali are climbing aboard the speeder, with R2-D2 in tow. It takes a moment before Mitali's X-Wing banks to follow Luke's, but he does so without needing to be told. Once their clearance has been granted, his landing is slightly less graceful than his Master's, but that's only to be expected - Mitali has so little time behind the stick that he is quite literally flying by the seat of his pants. His own canopy pops and out he clambers, with a look given to his own astromech parked in the ship. "Keep an eye on her, Boomer - we'll be back," he promises, waiting long enough to get a trill from the droid before his boots hit the tarmac and he races to catch up with Luke... and, as it turns out, his rescuer. It's with a broad smile that Mitali hops into the speeder, feeling only /moderately/ odd in his unfamiliar garb. He feels quite overdressed, if he's honest about it, but... not much to be done. "Some dance," he says wryly to Wrista as he settles into the back of the speeder, offering the familiar marines and unfamiliar tech all a warm smile. The situation may be grave, but for some reason, he's genuinely happy to be there. Wrista has dealt with techs in combat situations before. She understands the nervousness-- after all, crazy or not, they didn't sign up for this. So as the speeders get loaded, she confidently ushes Ti'ilandria into one of her lead speeder's seats, setting her next to a big, confident Marine. "Don't worry. Try not to think about it. Just stay with us and we'll keep you safe. Focus on the job. The sergeant here is your climbing buddy," she explains, and starts pointing out spots on the big Marine's equipment harness. "When we get under the thing and get ready for our grapple, I want you to loop your elbow through here--" Point. "Hook the toe of your right boot in this loop on his leg--" Point. "and hold onto this strap with your left hand. He'll worry about the climb, alright? We've done this about a hundred times." When she hears the Jedi shout, she perks and waves him over urgently, with a slightly odd look when she recognizes Mitali. "Hurry up, boys, you're late! We're off to bag us some ugly Imperial... whatever those are. They're new," she finishes with a shrug. As they settle in, the speeders promptly rocket off, and Wrista half-turns, digging in her pocket, fishing out a datacard and pops it into the speeder's console. "Nice suit, Javin," she says with a wink. "It suits you. Anyone mind a little track to set the mood?" She doesn't wait for an answer, and as the speeders pick up some airtime over a rise, the Republican Anthem manages to just barely blare over the roar of the repulsorlifts, from the vehicles' com, in a flagrant violation of all sorts of regs, and two marines in the back, one the sergeant next to Ti, and the other a blond human carrying a rather large grappling gun over his shoulder, both give the ubiquitous Marine "HOO-RAH!" that gets echoed from the other nearby speeders. Tch. Marines. Oh hey! Someone's talking to her, Ty opens her eyes to peer at the Twi'lek for a moment as she mentally rewinds to catch up on the conversation. Then she blinks again and turns to peer at the Marine and the places where Wrista is pointing. "Oh, Hey! That works! I forgot to bring an automated wrist wench, anyway! I'd fall so far behind you guys in climbing, it wouldn't be funny," she notes, trying to be cheerful. Yup! Gotta be cheerful. Hard to be cheerful when there's a bunch of big, burly Marines around and no ... LOOK A DROID! As the two Jedi climb aboard and an R2 unit is brought with them, one can see light practically beam from Ty's face from the smile that she gives. Jedi-schmedi! Who cares about them! Look at the actual //R2// unit that one of them brought! And it's even BLUE! That is so blasted AWESOME! "Hey there, buddy!" she calls to the astromech, trying to get R2's attention. "What's your designation? Wow, the things you must have seen and the places you've been!" Absently fanning herself, Ty just shakes her head at Wrista's asking about playing music and tries to hold a conversation with the little droid. Luke spares a momentary smirk for the marines, and especially Wrista, the one he's most familiar with. Nevertheless, he's here as a Jedi Master, and he's an apprentice with him. He gives Mitali a few moments to chit chat, but then he reaches over and bangs his fist firmly into the tech's shoulderplates. "There are many distractions in battle, Mitali, so it's even /more/ important to clear your mind; let the Force flow through you. Trust your instincts, and don't give in to anger or fear." As if to demonstrate, Luke turns and fixes his eyes upon the World Devastator as it draws closer, his expression gradually blanking out. Eventually he closes his eyes and seems to meditate. Meanwhile, R2-D2 seems utterly perplexed by Ti'ilandria's antics. It pivots its dome toward her and answers, giving her his designation of R2-D2 in binary, followed by a short-tempered blat signifying that he does NOT want to tell stories right now! Just like old times. ...well. Not /just/ like old times. Even as he smiles at the music and uniquely marine accompaniment, Mitali blinks once at the thump on his shoulder and looks to Luke, leaning over to hear him better over the noise. He nods once, briefly looking a touch sheepish. "Yes sir. Thank you." Genuinely grateful for the reminder of his newfound lot in life, the Padawan follows his Master's gaze up towards the looming figure of the World Devastator and sets his jaw, trying to quiet his mind. It's just a bucket of bolts. Nothing at all to fear. It takes a little more effort on his part than it does on Luke's, but a lifetime spent practicing meditation serves Mitali well - though he keeps his eyes open. Wrista is rather deathly curious at the interplay between Luke and Mitali, though given the garb being worn, she has her hunches. Regardless, that's about as useful as fear is in the current situation, and so she lets it slide off like so much unneeded baggage. As they glide under the massive World Devestator, she shifts to rise up in her seat, bracing a hand on the wind screen,a nd raises her arm, then brings it down. Each marine speeder carries a trooper weilding a heavy repulsorlift grapple, and at the signal, a half-dozen or so >WHMPH< noises sound, and cables spiral into the air, connecting to the underside of the war machine. "Everybody up!" the twi'lek snaps, and is the first to snap a pair of climbing handles onto the cable, rather quickly hauling herself up the line with her carbine across her back. The Sergeant waits to make sure Ti is well-secured on his back, offering Luke and Mitali spare sets of the standard climbing aids before he heads up after them, and soon there's quite a number of NR Marines quickly shimmying up the lines. Meanwhile, Wrista is making good time up the cable, being light and a talented climber, keeping her eye out for good places to make an entrance. Scouts take point and Wrista leads from the front. It's just the way it is. An eyebrow arches upwards at R2-D2 and Ty tilts her head to the side at the astromech. "It's just a figure of speech," she notes pursing her lips a little in confusion as her brows knit as well. "We are about to go into battle. This is hardly the time for stories. Anyway, I'm Ty. It's a pleasure to meet you, R2-D2," she notes with a bob of her head up and down. "I've a friend that is partnered with an R3 unit, R3-V10, who I call Venny," she notes, making idle chatter. "And I think one day I'll save up and see if there is an El-Eee repair droid that would like to be partnered with me." Not bought, partnered. Odd woman. Despite the confusing reaction from the droid, Ty does seem far less nervous than she was mere moments ago, her hazel eyes darting towards the World Devastator that is their objective, before she pats herself down. Her Handy Dandy Hydrospanner is pulled out, and spun deftly in her hand before settled back into place. Her blaster is patted and left firmly in it's holster. Ty checks through her tools and even the sensor pack she brought along just in case. Hey, a gift from Mom might come in handy, after all, before pulling out her datapad and looking over it and sliding it back into the front pocket where it's kept; fastening that pouch firmly again - almost like a pre-flight check for a TechGeek. And then... it's time to get up. Time to get secured, and time... to scream 'OH CRAP I'M GONNA DIE DON'T DROP ME!' ... well, whisper it really as Ty clings to the Marine who's back she is strapped into. "Mental note," Ty whimpers to herself, "Learn to climb competantly to keep up with Marines so I don't feel out of control!" Opening his eyes, Luke turns down Wrista's offer, choosing instead a grappling device attached to his utility belt. The Force is flowing through him now, directing his actions. Not yet understanding why, he aims for a specific area within the web of grappling lines, and fires up into the belly of the beast. The noise is deafening around them, between the mechanical sounds and the large thrum of the devastator's Molecular Furnace. After sparing a glance to make sure Mitali is underway, Luke holds on tight to the grappling handle as it drags him up toward the beast's underbelly. R2-D2 chitters with humor at Ty's dialogue, its dome flashing back and forth a moment, before its legs adjust and reveal a set of small rockets. With a blast of blue fire, the droid lifts off from the deck behind the other marines and Jedi, and begins soaring up into the air below Luke. That's when Skywalker's eyes spy what seems to be a retractable platform, sealed tightly against the underbelly of the Devastator. "Over there!" he calls over the din. "That is some kind of deployment platform!" He looks down at R2-D2. "Artoo!" He points at the platform, now dangling from his cable by one hand. "Go and see if you can't open up that platform!" R2-D2 chirps and whirls its excitement, then goes zooming off toward the retractable vehicle deployment platform. With a scream, it re-angles its jets, flipping itself upside down a split-second before activating the magnets in its primary legs. *Clang!* R2-D2 rolls across the underbelly upside down, searching for a data port to jack into. With a trill of excitement, it finds one, sticks out a manipulator arm to pry open the door, then jabs its scomp link into the data jack and starts working. If nothing else, Javin Mitali is a quick study. Trusting his instincts, his own grapple line goes rocketing up towards the belly of the beast along a very similar trajectory as his Master's. He glances to Luke and spares him a quick, thin smile before he looks up and pulls the trigger, and even though he's prepared, his eyes still briefly widen in surprise with just how quickly the line yanks him off of his feet and up towards the mammoth machine. As his Master points out an entrance, Mitali squints in its direction to try and spot it. "Looks like a launch bay!" he calls, briefly looking just a touch uneasy with how the still-moving World Devastator causes his line to sway. Wooooh. Calm. Focus. Peace. Wrista may have hauled herself up without the benefit of the motorized winch, in favor of using the reliable heavy cable from the squad launcher and her own two hands. Besides... she may yet need the motorized TLG in her pack for getting out of here. When Luke calls out the entrance, the twi'lek shifts herself to dangle from one hand, drawing her sidearm from her thigh holster, and starts to aim the non-standard heavy blaster's grapple attachment towards the ramp... and then spots Artoo, and promptly tucks her weapon back away to wait for the platform, signalling back down the line to the other Marines. The Marine doing Ti's climbing for her looks back over his shoulder, then, and in a reassuring, deep voice, advises her to "Hold on, ma'am. You might wanna close your eyes for this part." The Marines begin to, in a trained, unfied manner, swing the line they share, as the other lines of Marines do. When Artoo manages to get the platform extended, they're ready, and the bottom marine swings onto it first, turning to help catch the Sergeant carrying the tech, and so on up the line until Wrista's feet finally hit... somewhat more solid ground, anyway. "AAIIIIEEEEE!!" calls out Ty into the Marine's back! And when she is finally on solidish ground, and out of the way, she looks down, and around, before shivering. "Okay. Okay. I want to do that again sometime, but not with the whole impending doom, and laser fire and molecural furnance," she notes with a wave back over her shoulder,"thing going on. You know, when it can be enjoyable." Catching her breath, right now, Ty is just trying to stay out of the way until she can be useful. She looks down, then quickly looks back at the Marines. Obviously that was a bad idea. Then she looks up and takes a deep breath. Blast, time to take out the blaster, isn't it? The young woman looks at the side-arm in the holster at her hip, and just leaves it there with a wrinkling at her nose. "You know, it's probably safer for everyone involved that you stay put unless absolutely neccesary," she tells the weapon, instead putting a hand on her hydrospanner in preparation while slipping her scanner over her shoulder. Might as well see how much shielding and interference this thing is giving and check to see if the coast is clear - to be... well .. useful. Silencer-7. That is the name of this particular World Devastator; its the largest of the three that now approach the capital... they are about ten minutes out. Even now, the Republic Military oversees the evacuation of the capital... Rieekan and Dodonna have put everything on the Marines that now have grappled onto the Devastator. The skies over the Devastator formation are chaotic; starfighters zip back and forth, laser fire filling the atmosphere, explosions impacting against the Devastators. Their shields, however, are nearly impenetrable... nothing can damage them from the outside. The commander, Titus Klev, stands on the command deck of Silencer-7, observing the battle. They have thus far not picked up the speeders that run under them, the grappling hooks latching on... the battle has taken their full attention. Their orders are to demolish the capital and destroy military command... once that objective is acheived, they are to turn about and assist the Imperial Army in the assault on the shield generator and the fortress. The Devastator is just as well-defended inside... a contingent of Imperial Stormtroopers along with the remaining crew. Normally, the Devastator carries 8,000 Stormtroopers... but Silencer has dropped most of its contingent to aid in the assault. A few hundred stormtroopers have remained behind to defend... they are alert, and ready. As the Marines swing aboard, the Stormtroopers are none the wiser. Following after the marines, Luke uses his body weight to create a pendulum motion. When ready, he triggers the release mechanism, and the metallic grappling hook detaches from the underbelly above, whipping back into his utility belt. Following a brief free-fall, he grabs one of the marine lines, and two swings later, he's landed upon the platform. Pivoting rapidly, the Jedi Master's hands go out to each side, one aimed toward Mitali in case the Padawan needs some assistance getting on board, either by the muscle of his arm or the bending of the Force. Using his legs and a well-timed lesson in moving objects with the Force from Master Valios, Mitali gets his line swinging and waits for the Opportune Moment - then he hits the button to disengage the clamp and goes sailing through the air. He's no Tarzan, but he /is/ very apt to listen to his instincts after they got him out at Yaartsek so effectively. He grabs one vacant line on his way and with another push, flings himself across to the platform, where he lands safely - albeit clumsily. Blinking owlishly, he puffs a bit of hair out of his face and quickly moves back to stand out of the way. Armored Jedi though he may be, he is no combatant. Instead, he comes to stand with his fellow tech, glancing to Ti'ilandria and flashing her a quick, sympathetic grin. Wrista spares a second for a wholly un-professional friendly tousling of Mitali's hair when he makes it across, earning at least one snicker from the Marines, and then she clears her throat and heads for the front of the pack where Scouts are meant to be, nodding cheefully to Artoo. "Can you pop the door, Short Stuff? Ripping it'd probably be a bad idea-- may as well call ahead," she asks the droid in the tone of someone asking a favor of a friend, and she unlimbers her carbine from its spot strapped on her back, tilting her head up to consider both the door and the monster it gives access to. "I'm not sure we have time to do this quietly," she muses in a slightly unhappy tone. "It's moving fast." There is a low, displeased noise that comes from Ty's throat as she looks at her sensor pack, before shaking her head. "Blasted Imperials, have to shield it from the bottom, too. Hard way it is," she notes with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, Sir, better to be prepared, I can't get a reading on if we've got company directly overhead or not," she notes, before looking around, and taking a careful step out of the way, the way for the Marines to do their job before flashing a tentative smile back at Mitali. R2-D2 chirps out a rapid fire response to Wrista, still mounted upside down on Silencer-7's underbelly. After a few twists and turns of its scomp link, it blats angrily and tries again, to no effect. Luke watches for a moment, then turns and looks up at the door. "Alright, gentlemen," he offers, and pardons his way to the front of the line. He gives himself a good leap, and, like a monkey, wraps one arm around a support pole and hooks his foot around the other. Out comes his lightsaber, and he begins slicing a circular hole in the thick metal separating them from the inside. He springs from one pole to the other while making the cut, and just before finishing, he gives a good thrust with his lightsaber-wielding hand, sending a large chunk of metal careening into the Devastator's innards, followed by an echoey clang of metal as it strikes the deck inside. Without preamble, Luke gives one lsat spring and ends up inside Silencer-7, lightsaber ready for defense. "So where are you going to go once this war is over? I don't reckon it lasting too much longer, what with these bad boys out there..." Lieutenant Markal says, chuckling; he's an engineer aboard Silencer-7, in a dirty service uniform, speaking to one of the naval enlistedmen. "Myself, I plan on retiring to Chandrila... I hear they got nice beach property there!" The two chuckle as they continue their talk; they are low on the food chain, and their services in this battle aren't exactly needed... the Devastator is doing all the work, and who would be crazy enough to sneak inside one? Behind them, the hull begins to melt away as a green blade pierces through. "Hey uh..." Markel looks behind them as the chunk of metal falls in, letting the Jedi Master in. "Sound the alarm!" Markel says, looking around nervously - he has no weapon, nothing but his hydrospanner, which he tosses at Luke. "We need backup!" the naval enlistedman, however, is armed; but he does not waste time in shooting. He's off rushing to sound the alarm behind them... "Just stay behind the marines and we'll be just fine," Mitali asides to Ti'ilandria as his Master works on opening the door, his smile speaking to some first-hand experience in this regard. "Captain Ipex has saved my life more than once." He glances up as Luke's work on forming a door draws close and, with a tight smile, returns his focus to keeping a quiet mind. Now that they're /really/ going from the frying pan and into the fire, he knows how dangerous distractions could be - not only for him, but for those with him. As the guard goes for the alarm, he stays put, trusting those with him to halt his retreat far better than he could. Frying pans and fire or not, Wrista doens't think twice when Luke goes through his makeshift door-- she vaults her way in hot on his heels, tucking into an expert little roll that puts her behind the Jedi and slightly to his right. She's fought with him before, at the remains of Grinndal, and the experience was enough to give her some ideas how to work alongside a lightsaber-- stay close enough to be easily protected from blaster-fire, but far enough to one side to have a line of fire. She's not in the habit of shooting unarmed techs-- or fleeing officers that *are* armed, but alarms change things, and her carbine snaps up and fires a professional double-tap at the enlisted rating, trying to catch him short of the alarm while the rest of the Marines make their entry. Bobbing her head up and down, and blinking as she peers as the Jedi Master goes about making a Grand Entrance. "If I ever buy a house and need a new door..." she murmurs in obvious jest before shaking her head and tilting it to the side. "Oooo, bad. Bad. Sir, give the clear. Maybe if I can get in there and slice in I could get a silent lock on all the terminals on this level that will buy us some time on an alarm," she notes, already hopping up and down, bouncing as much as an excited GNK droid before a rousing game of MSE tag. R2-D2 releases itself, using its thrusters to flip about and rise up into the Devastator behind the others. It rolls over toward Ti'ilandria and Mitali, chirping excitedly. Luke reaches his free hand up, aiming it at the incoming hydrospanner. With a quick flick of his wrist, its course suddenly diverts, and the hydrospanner clangs to the floor, skidding harmlessly between Luke's feet. Now, he settles his piercing eyes on Lieutenant Markal, and speaks with a convicting tone. "You don't need to sound any alarms." His left hand makes a subtle gesture, beckoning the Force to put a VERY strong impression upon Markal's mind. "I... I don't need... to sound any alarms..." Markel says, a confused look befalling his face. He stands there, looking at the Jedi and the Marines. "Can I help you all?" Meanwhile, Wrista fires a shot at the run-away Navy man... the shot hits him in the back. It burns, but it doesn't slow the man down; he reaches the alarm, bashes it, and the klaxons roar to life throughout Silencer-7. Titus Klev jumps at the sound of the alarms. "Where did it originate?" Klev asks a subordinate, who responds with the location of the Marine insertion team. "Get a squadron down there immediately! Seal off the bridge!" The navy man grabs his pistol now and drops to a knee, firing off bolts at Wrista; Imperial Stormtroopers are on the run, heading towards the bay with their weapons primed and ready to kill. The Stormtroopers barge in - five of them for now - and begin opening fire without a moment's hesitation. With a sigh, Mitali glances to Ti'ilandria, shifting slightly to be sure that his frame - slight though it is - is between her and the erupting battle. "This is where the fun begins." Struggling to maintain his focus in light of blasterfire and alarm klaxons, he glances down at Artoo, raising his voice a bit to be sure that his fellow techs can hear him over the noise. "Once we have a safe path in, we should try to kill the alarms and find the quickest way to the heart of this thing! I'll see if I can slice in and find the schematics, you two worry about the noise!" "Misfired charge!" Wrista growls in brief irritation as the alarms sound, and she changes out the carbine's power pack for a fresh and hopefully more-reliable one, Trusting her postion mostly-behind the Jedi to keep her safe while she performs the operation, then snaps her carbine back up. By then, the troopers have arrived, and on the whole, they're a much larger threat, so the twi'lek shifts her aim to fire at the first one through the door, while her squad opens fire on the arrriving Imperials. Most of them look for cover somewhere they can find a good fire line, though four of the Marines move along with the techs to provide them cover fire and support. Opening her mouth, Ty snaps it shut. Of COURSE he's going to remember to save the schematics. DUH! Instead the female tech just nods, arching an eyebrow only slightly as the JediTech places himself between her and the firefight. Okay, chivalry is supposed to be nice, right? Looking over at the droid, Ty nods to it. "Okay, partner. You and me, we're on the alarms. Think I can keep up with you?" she asks, winking at the astromech before wriggling her fingers. "Ready and waiting to charge where sane sentient beings should be fleeing and screaming obscenities." Skywalker looks away from Markel long enough to notice that Wrista's shot doesn't take the other down. "Blast it," he curses under his breath, and swings his lightsaber up into a Form V maneuver, staying close to Wrista. His green blade swings about, parrying the incoming bolts while advancing on the Stormtroopers. Luke Skywalker is a vicious warrior, but he's also merciful. There are thousands, perhaps millions of lives at stake... the passing of these Stormtroopers will be quick and painless if they are at the hand of his blade. Incoming bolts are sent up into the ceiling to help declutter the fray. Once within range, he aims for the wrists, and then the necks. All the while, his mind stays clear, following his instincts alone as the Force guides them. The fire fight begins. The Stormtroopers and Marines exchange their shots - and the Stormtroopers end up on the losing side. Two of the five go down, and the remaining three duck for cover behind a large power unit. They peek out, firing their shots, as more reinforcements rush to the bay to help defend - but the Devastator is big, and the Marines will have some time to advance ahead before the rest of the Imperial defenders can arrive. But the Stormtroopers have not prepared themselves for the Jedi Grand Master. His parries the bolts, hitting into the remaining three Stormtroopers... the firefight ends, for now, but another squadron of stormtroopers is on the way. To seize control of the World Devastator, the "Droid brain" is several levels in - secured behind a heavy blast door, and guarded well. But the Marines have a clear shot now - they have a few minutes before more Stormtroopers begin to rush in! And if the Marines split up, with the Jedi holding off the Stormtroopers, perhaps the techie and her guardians can slip on by. Between the cover provided by Luke and the marines, Mitali is able to scurry into the grand machine and across to one of the consoles, scooping up the dropped hydrospanner on his way. Trusting in Artoo and Ti'ilandria to do what they must, he does what he must, trying to block out the battle around him and focus solely on slicing into the computers in search of schematics. By the time the last stormtrooper falls, he has them, and he turns to Luke as he points up at the display. "Here, Master - the droid brain," Mitali says quickly. "It's not the command deck, buuut..." But perhaps that is an advantage. Wrista fires around Luke in short bursts, taking care to avoid his motions, and then picks herself up from her crouch when the firefight ends. "Not going to be long before they're after us," she points out, stepping over to peer at the schematics Mitali found, and then looks back toward Luke. "Though if you and the boys--" she nods her head at the Marines "--can give them other places to worry about, the rest of us can probably make it there in a small team without *too* much fuss," she suggests. Hopping over to a terminal herself, the dual pig-tailed tech begins her assignment, hazel eyes scanning the screen, and patting the top of the domed astromech unit's head as she smiles. "There you are my pretties," she notes, before her fingers fly and she starts working on shutting off the alarm klaxon. Shortly after that, the noise stops, giving people a chance to hear themselves think again. And just in time for Ty to hear the JediTech say her favorite word. Spinning, she is hopping up and down and twisting to peer over and around his shoulder. "No way! Droid brain! Devious things, the Imperials! How cruel do you have to be to strap droid brains into these things and program them for the functions that they are? I bet there's one that wants to be an artist, at least!" Then she's spinning and looking, all bright-eyed and hopeful at Wrista, hands clasped in front of her, about to burst with joy as the Marine suggests what Ty THINKS she suggests. HURRAY! Trip to Droid Brain Land! Luke turns and peers over at the schematics drawn up by Mitali. Without a word, he acknowledges the suggestions of Mitali and Wrista with quick nods at each. With the marines relinquished to his command, Luke proves that years after being actively involved in the military, he still has a commander's mind. He points directly at two marines. "Team One." Then he points at two more. "Team Two." And again. "Team Three." Using eye contact and a quick motion of his fingers, he directs the three teams to split off and head down separate access tunnels. Based on his quick assessment of the schematic, these three accessways will lead toward other intersecting passageways that might lead toward the droid brain. The marines will know what to do; provide ample diversion. The remaining marines are beckoned to join up with Luke. Re-igniting his green lightsaber, he spreads his stance and swings the blade about into the opening guard of Form II, the Soresu arts. His free hand forms a vee with two fingers, sending tendrils out into the Force like a sonar radar. "They are coming," he warns, signaling the marines to take up attack positions as they prepare for the arrival of reinforcements. When the Stormtroopers arrive, Luke's lightsaber begins swinging about with lightning-fast accuracy. At one point, the tightly-woven Soresu defense almost looks like a shimmering shield of green energy. The bolts of Stormtroopers bounce off his defenses, some of the blasts finding the soft pieces between chestplates, others bashing into the deck and walls, creating a cloud of debris and shrapnel. <''added post-scene''> The klaxons come to a dead stop as the tech works her magic; there is an eerie silence in Silencer-7. One cannot even hear the outside battle raging within the walls of the Devastator. But it's about to change. As the teams split up - with Mitali, Wrista, Ti and several other Marines advancing onward towards the droid brain, while Luke and the rest of the Marines cover them, holding down the bay as more Stormtroopers barge in - the reinforcements. Dozens of Stormtroopers filter in, but are stopped by the Grand Master, whose parries and redirects help keep them back, while the Marines find defensive positions and lay down supressing fire. The Stormtroopers do not even notice the departure of half the squad - they're too pre-occupied with the Grand Master. The second time makes advances, running only into crewmembers who pose no real trouble; they arrive at the heavily sealed blast doors. Not even explosives can break through it... there is, however, a control panel on the side that a good computer-minded person might be able to hack and open the doors. Following his own advice, Mitali stayed behind Wrista and the marines during the long trip to the droid brain, occasionally passing on warnings of trouble up ahead. It was odd, being able to sense such things now, but he was never one to ignore his instincts - they just seem to be a little more accurate now. A lot more accurate. Which suits him just fine. As they come to the blast doors, Mitali peers up at them and ruffles a hand back over his hair, letting out a low sigh. "This should be it," he murmurs, taking a quick look around before he notices the control panel. Beckoning to Ti'ilandria, he heads over to pop the cover, moving it out of the way so that the pair of them can get a look at what they're dealing with. "I get the feeling my previous tactic with one of these panels won't work," Mitali muses under his breath, his tone that of an inside joke before he rubs his hands together. Leaving room for his companion, he plucks a pair of tools from his belt and reaches in to see if he can't manage to slice the lock. "Between the two of us, we should be able to pop this thing. Probably guards inside," he notes over his shoulder. "If we know this thing's a good target, they do too." "Make sure you tuck back into cover," Wrista reminds the techs, as she settles in between them and the open hallway, her carbine at the ready. They've only got herself and a couple of the more stealthy Marines for combat cover, but hopeflly they won't need it, and she waves the other soldiers into the best conceled cover they can find and still have firing position on the approaches. "We'll cover you, but try not to make too much noise-- I need to listen," she cautions. It's unlikely a patrol in the area wouldn't look right at them to check on the nerve center of the whole vessel, but... one can hope they might be more worried about the big firefight elsewhere, right? The twilek frowns, settling in with her ears and eyes alert. She really doesn't like how exposed they *have* to be right here... A bouncing nod is given and Ty follows Javin Mitali, the JediTech over to the control panel, looking it over a moment with a deep frown. "Probably," she notes to the fact that there are likely to be guards on the inside, suddenly scooting a little closer to the JediTech, though that's just to get out of the way of the doors and give the Marine's more room, her hazel eyes still focused on the open panel. "Okay, let's see what we've got. Oh, thankfully the Imperials are actually predicable though," she notes, plucking a wire, and plugging it into her datapad and then doing the same with another. "Interfaces fine.... code looks ... oh goodie. I think I can do this," she notes with a bit of a smirk. "See, there's this little flaw in the code where all you have to do is slice and and insist that you're doing a security override and need to ventilate the room on the other side." Just as Ty finishes her sentence, she pushes something on her datapad. And with a <> the blast doors open, and Ty yanks on her datapad to get it out of the Imperial system quickly. Meanwhile, the marines accompanying Luke are doing quite well laying down a suppressing fire. But then, there's a great rumbling sound, and the floor caves in beneath the piles of Stormtroopers forming up before them. Within the smoke, a dozen additional Stormtroopers come blasting through, their weapons spraying into the corridor, seeking death. "Back!" Luke shouts over the din, and the marines begin collapsing back down the hallway two by two. Luke follows eventually, but not without giving the Stormtroopers a little surprise. Whipping his lightsaber down toward the ground, Luke glances the blade against the deck, sending a cloud of sparks and flash-boiled shrapnel toward the Stormtroopers. It'll do nothing against their armor save providing a split-second distraction, which is all Luke needs. He crouches, splays his hands out before him, and gives forth a growling grunt as he rises to his feet, pushing his arms up toward the ceiling as if carrying a great weight. The great hole formed by the Stormtroopers is suddenly filled by the large chunks of rock left over by the explosives used to enter the hallway. One of the Stormtroopers lets out a Wilhelm Scream as the massive chunks of durasteel and reinforced armor flooring fly upward, seemingly of their own volition, and smash into the ceiling. That'll keep this group busy for a little while. Turning about, Luke chases after the marines down the hallway, his lightsaber swinging at his side. <''added post-scene''>> As the doors open, the Marines and the techie are brought into the main control room where the droid brain resides - it is a sterile room, with a large computer core at the center and smaller control panels along the wall. They will have to hack the system to take control... but their time is running short. On the command deck, a warning flashes: a breach at the droid brain. Klev curses. "Order all units to the computer center! Crush the rebels..." The World Devastators are now on the outskirts of the capital, their tractor beams still tearing up the surface.. a few more minutes, and they will be over the capital to unleash their fury. Deep underground, Rieekan and Dodonna share worried looks... they have bet everything on the Marines. Can they make it in time? Noting the Fleet tech's expertise, Mitali takes a step back to give her room, his lips quirking into an amused grin as she makes such short work of what is very likely the most secure lock on the entire craft. He holds his praise until he's certain no blaster fire is going to come from inside - then he lets out a relieved breath and favors her with a grin. "Nice," he says approvingly, looking back to Wrista and nodding once. If they didn't need to hustle before, they definitely do now. Mitali falls into step with one of the marines, hurrying into the room and peering up at the large droid brain. No time to be awed; he rushes up to one of the consoles, catching his lower lip between his teeth as he drops his hands to the controls. Don't think. Just hack. Wrista is entirely accustomed to command, and waves Ti and Mitali inside as soon as the door pops, one of her Marines ducking through first and checking the room for surprises. "Good job. We probably don't have a lot of time if they're paying attention, so nothing fancy. Hack in, see if you can..." she pauses to think. "See if you can flip the IFF codes or something. Convince it it's eating the wrong stuff or whatever," she says vaguely. Sue her, she's not a tech, that's why she brought these two. She points at a pair of her Marines. You two-- see if you can find a place to rig some surprises for our friends in white. Frags on tripwires, or some slicewire across the hallway. Nothing elaborate." She gets a pair of eager grins and nods back, then glances over her wristchrono. Yeah... even if troops aren't coming to get them, they need to be done with this, and fast. Grabbing a work glove from a pocket somewhere, Ty puts that on, then reaches into the control panel for the door. Gloved fingers wrap around a pair of cables and yank, pulling out a fair length before they finally snap somewhere deep within. Dragging the cables with her, Ty follows the JediTech's suit and moves inside before blinking as she is stopped momentarily in her tracks. "That's one big brain," she notes, the gloved hand reaching up to scratch absently under her lips. "Oh, and thanks." Turning around, and tossing the wire to the side, Ty moves to a console and peers at it momentarily to get her bearings. "Think we can get this wompa to sit like a good boy?" she asks, tucking the glove back into her pocket. "Oh, all right. Let's see if we can convince this sucker that what it's eating is giving it a belly-ache and it wants something else like that big juicy steak of you know, whatever these things are over there!" says the TechGirl with a devious grin. Luke Skywalker and his team of marines buckle down and wait for the next attack. This time, Luke has himself flattened against the wall, partially concealed by a large conduit filled with liquid glycogen coolant. His chest heaves and falls evenly, sweat beaded on his face - the inside of this war beast is hot as hell itself. He closes his eyes, drawing on the Force to renew his strength. "There they are! Blast them!" the Stormtroopers seem to appear out of nowhere, and the fierce fighting begins again! Leaping out from behind the coolant pipe, Luke crouches down low, deflecting bolts one-handed now. Periodically, his left hand flicks out, telekinetically demanding that random chunks of wall, conduits, and lights be released from their homes, soaring across the hall to distract the Stormtroopers. <''added post-scene''> "Sir... we're losing control!" one of the officers on the bridge announces, worry in his voice. The World Devastator stops using its weapons on the planet; the devastation stops... instead, the beast turns its attention on its sister ship, Silencer-6. She's a smaller model, not as armored or shielded... her crew has no time to react to the sudden and violent change. The tractor beams on Silencer-7 rip into Silencer-6, tearing it apart piece-by-piece... it doesn't take long for the entire World Devastator to be consumed by her big sister ship. Down below, Republic soldiers cheer as they watch the events unfold... celebrations erupt in the underground command center, but the two gray commanders know better; there's still two World Devastators. The third Devastator, Inquisitor-1, stops in its tracks... its commander watches in horror as Silencer-7 devours 6, and he can only assume the worst. "Silencer-7 is lost. Destroy it before it destroys anything else!" And so, Inquisitor-1 turns its destructive beams on Silencer-7 and the same process ensues... Silencer-7 begins to rip apart. The Marines will need to evacuate now! But their escape won't be easy... outside the droid brain room, a squadron of stormtroopers have arrived. They will fight to the death... they have nothing to lose. Javin Mitali has come to the conclusion that there is an awful lot to be said for trusting his intuition, and he can't quite help letting out a stress-relieving laugh when he realizes what, precisely, he and Ti'ilandria managed to convince the gargantuan machine to accomplish, his elation aided by the dim but very present feeling of relief and victory down on the ground below. But once more, there is no time to dawdle. Smiling wryly even as the Inquisitor-1 sets its sights on them, he turns and nods to his companions. "Time to leave," he says wisely, just before the craft begins to shake and rumble around them as its sister craft begins to tear it apart. He rushes for the door, where the marines abruptly tear down the slicewire traps to allow them all to escape, he glances to Wrista, an amused lilt to his voice as he ducks for cover when another firefight erupts. "Always on the move..." Wrista has bigger things on her mind than amused commentary-- Like Stormtroopers blocking their exit. She ducks back into the doorway to avoid incoming fire, snapping off an unaimed shot of her own before she gives Mitali a protective shove against the wall. "Got better things to do tonight than die-- Frags out!" she orders, and a pair of grenades sail down the hall, trying to clear enough of a path that they can make a break for it. There is definitely a bittersweet expression on Ty's face at the accomplishment. And as more IMPENDING DOOM comes crashing down with the approach and attack of another World Devastator Ty sighs and strokes the console. "You did good. You did real good," she tells the big brain. The TechGirl is about to leave, then pauses, before looking back. "The shield projectors. Try to kick off the other one's shield projectors. They are so sweet and tasty, a good Wubba-Dee's last treat. You deserve that," she tells the droid brain, before shaking her head, and moving after the the Marines and JediTech. That is, of course, when she comes skidding to a halt, flailing her arms to either side as she leans forward and peers out at the stormtroopers waiting for them. Straightening the young woman swallows then raises a hand and wriggles her fingers in a wave. "Uh... hi! Don't suppose any of you know where to get a good deal on enormously large droid brains... do you?" Luke Skywalker and his team of marines are being pinned down now, even though Teams One, Two, and Three have just rejoined them, having set their traps elsewhere to help Ipex, Mitali, and Ty handle the droid brain. Just when they are about to become overwhelmed, Luke turns about and slashes a hole in the liquid glycogen conduit. He dashes to safety as the conduit bursts open, spraying a blast of super-frozen blue mist that fills the hallway and overwhelms the Stormtroopers. His instincts scream at him when Silencer-7 starts to break apart. "This way!" he shouts, taking an abrupt turn down a different hallway that will, inevitably, bring his team head to head with the same Stormtroopers facing Captain Ipex's team. Luke runs forward, his lightsaber swinging about and cutting the heads off three Stormtroopers. It will be a much better fate than that which awaits them in the Molecular Furnaces if Inquisitor-1. <''added post-scene''> The droid receives its new commands, but it's too little, too late... Inquisitor-1's tractor beams have reduced Silencer-7 into pieces. The bottom half of the World Devastator - where our heroes fight their way out to the exit, where they came in - is still intact, but the vibrations are intense, the entire structure shaking and falling apart. As Wrista fights her way out with her Marines, the Stormtroopers find themselves pinned between her unit and Luke Skywalker's Marines... the last of the Stormtroopers are put to rest, a fate better than what remained for them in the furnance of Inquisitor-1. "Hurry!" one of the Marines shouts as they rush towards the exit, the walls closing in on them... on the bridge of Silencer-7, Klev can only look down in sorrow as his life comes to an end, the command deck sucked in to Inquisitor-1. With only a brief look given to his Master that seems to encompass an entire conversation, Mitali just keeps on running. He has no intention of being inside this thing when it's finished being crushed like a spent fizzyglug can, thank you very much, and as he comes skidding around the corner back into where they came in, he yanks on his gloves and whistles for Artoo. It /almost/ sounds like binary. Almost. It isn't boldness, really, so much as it is being secure in the knowledge that he needs to Get Out, and Get Out Now, that leads Mitali to do what he does. He goes sprinting out the way they came in and leaps for one of the ropes they climbed in on, hands outstretched and his cloak loudly billowing in the rush of wind behind him. Wrista is hot on Mitali's heels, flashing Luke a grin when they meet back up. "Together again, eh?" But that's all she has to say as the pack dashes for their exit. Under other circumstances, she might reflect on how unusually confident with all this physical derring-do Mitali is today... but there isn't much time for thought, and even if there was... a couple hundred meters in the air and in danger of being devoured into your component molecules to feed the Imperial war machine with raw materials is NOT really a place most people will favor meek action. As is her habit, the twi'lek skids to a halt at their exit, making sure everyone gets to the rope before she takes it herself. Nor does she forget Ty in the rush-- the tech, who Wrista is unsure about making such a crazed descent, is hurled bodily at the Sarge by the twi'lek Captain, with a shouted "Hold on!". One by one, mad leaps are taken for the grapple lines still hanging from the crumbling monster, and finally Wrista takes her turn, with a blind leap to snag the cable, wrapping her gloves and boots around it to slide down. Far too fast, like everyone, but maybe not fast enough regardless. The Republic Marines and their Jedi companions flee to safety... and not a moment too soon. The World Devastator finds itself completely devoured, chunks of debris falling to the surface below. Cheers erupt through the command center as they observe via their displays... it is a great victory for the Republic. But they still have to contend with one World Devastator... a World Devastator that has just consumed another. The resources she has just devoured churn in the massive ship, developing new weapons and ships for the Empire... given enough time, this Devastator could create another World Devastator! But her commander knows when it's time to pull back... all alone, even the Devastator will be vulnerable to concentrated fire. She diverts from her present course towards the capital - just shy of a few miles outside the capital - and begins angling towards space to rejoin with the Imperial fleet... Rieekan gives orders for the fleet to dispatch everything to stop the Devastator in its tracks before it can regroup and build new weapons. But the job is not over for Wrista and her Marines. Their celebration over their victory is shortlived... new orders are given to Wrista: return to the fortress... the Imperial Army has just landed and they are going for the shield generator. World Devastators, The